Main menu

Pages

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Recipe for Steel-Cut Oats in the Crockpot and Steel-Cut Oats with Agave and Pecans

One of my favorite breakfasts is Peanut Butter Oatmeal, which I usually make with Extra Thick Rolled Oats cooked in the microwave, using a method I learned from Alanna. Since I've become such an oatmeal fan, I've been wanting to try steel cut oats, but I wasn't sure about the longer cooking time, reported to be as much as 45 minutes on the stove. Then I heard about cooking steel cut oats in the crockpot, and when I tried it, I loved the crockpot version of steel cut oats. I ate them with peanut butter stirred in, and also with agave drizzled over and sprinkled with nuts, which you see in the photo above.

The least processed form of oats are oat groats. However, they need soaking, and take a very long time to cook. Steel cut oats are oat groats chopped into smaller pieces, making them easier to cook. Oats are definitely a plant ingredient, so even though no herbs are involved, this is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by The Well Seasoned Cook.

I used a 2.5 quart Crockpot to cook 1 cup of steel cut oats, and it took me a few tries to get the amount of thickness and chewiness I wanted. I decided that 5 cups water and just over three hours cooking time gave the best results with my crockpot. Newer crockpots cook much hotter than the older "slow cooker" models, and different sizes of crockpots also cook differently, so you may have to experiment a little to get the best result.

Steel cut oats are great reheated, so make some extra and keep them in the refrigerator, then microwave for a few minutes for an extra quick breakfast.

Crockpot Recipe for Steel Cut Oats and Steel Cut Oats with Agave and Pecans
(Makes 4 servings, but can easily be doubled.)

Combine steel cut oats, water, and salt in crockpot. (I sprayed the crock with non-stick spray to prevent sticking.) Cook on low, stirring every hour or so. After 3 hours start checking to see if the oats are as done as you'd like. I cooked the oats in this photo for 3 hours and 15 minutes, but a larger batch or an older model crockpot will take longer.

Steel Cut Oats with Agave and Pecans - Ingredients for 1 serving:
1 cup cooked steel cut oats, still hot from crockpot or heated in microwave for a few minutes
1 T agave nectar (I tried both Hazelnut flavored agave and amber agave and both were great)
6-8 pecans, coarsely chopped with knife (could also use almonds or pistachios)

Steel Cut Oats with Agave and Pecans - Instructions:

Put hot oats in a bowl, drizzle with agave nectar and sprinkle nuts over. (If you're reheating the steel cut oats in the microwave, you may want to add a few tablespoons of water before you microwave them.)

Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and this blog earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

41 comments:

Hey Kalyn...I think this recipe is a great idea for the weekend getting ready for the week? but steel cut oats don't take so long. Here is what I do several times a week.3 cups water with pinch of salt, bring to boil. Pour in 1 cup steel cut oats (bob's red mill). Stir and bring to a soft simmer. the lid should be part way on to keep the steam inside the pot, helps cut down on cooking time I believe! :} when simmering I put the timer on for 15-20 min. Stir a few times. they come out chewy but not overly so. I add golden raisins, some milk. The BEST breakfast any day...enjoy

I LOVE steel cut oats. Cooking them in the crockpot is a great idea. In addition to stirring in peanut butter or agave, I sometimes make them savory

Use broth (chicken, beef, veggie - your choice) and add some dehydrated minced onion. When the oats are almost done, add a couple of tablespoons of parmesan cheese and, if on hand, some leftover veggies. The first time I did this, I used leftover stirfry that had a bit of soy sauce on them. It was wonderful!

Kaylyn, Don't count out oat groats. I love them and used a pressure cooker to cook them and they turned out great. I happen to have an electric one that will keep things warm and overnight and they were perfect for breakfast.

Peanut butter oatmeal with a touch of honey is so good! Steal cut oats are my preferred form of oatmeal. I like the chewier texture and the slight nuttiness. If you have a rice cooker with a porridge setting and a timer you can also use that to have the freshly made steal cut oatmeal just as you wake up in the morning.

Tanna, next I want to try pin head oats. I'm not sure I would like them as much for cereal, but I think they'd be great as a binder in meatload or mixed into bread dough.

Linda, thanks! You knew that when you said "pressure cooker" that would get my attention. I'll look for some oat groats and try them. I don't have an electric pressure cooker but it's on my wish list.

Susan, didn't want to miss it!

Lydia, love that you're becoming a crockpot convert!

Kevin, I do have a rice cooker like that! What a great idea. I'll try that method too. (So many great tips from everyone, this is really fun.)

Katie, I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work to double the recipe, or even 2.5 times my measurements since my crockpot wasn't full and yours is more than double the size. It might take a bit longer to cook. If you like thicker oatmeal, you might want to not quite double the amount of water.

My e-mail is slow sending comments so I'm responding and them a comment is getting published later! Driving me crazy. Coach Kai, I haven't tried cooking regular oatmeal ahead and storing in refrigerator but can't think of any reason it wouldn't work.

I use alton brown's recipe at the Food Network (link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/steel-cut-oatmeal-recipe/index.html ) It does take about 30 minutes to make, but I'll do a batch tonight (Sunday) and then either buy breakfast on Friday, or do another batch Thursday night after work. Its pretty easy and there isn't much babysitting involved.

Carla, that does sound good and I"m intrigued by the buttermilk in the recipe. However with butter, brown sugar, and whole milk that recipe wouldn't be South Beach friendly. Might be fun to experiment to see if I can come up with a South Beach version.

I like to use the crockpot for cooking oats too.Another way to cut down the cooking time is to prep the oasts and water, bring to a boil; reduce the heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Cool and refrigerate. They will only take about 10 minutes to cooki the next morning.

I too love steel cut oats and can never go back to eating typical rolled oats. Here's what I do to cut down on my breakfast cooking time.

Before going to bed toast 1 cup of steel cut oats in a medium saucepan for a few minutes over medium low. Then slowly pour in 4 cups of boiling water (careful, it will bubble and hiss). Then put the lid on, turn off the heat and leave it to sit on the element (I have an electric stove). The residual heat from the element and the boiling water does all work. In the morning I stir in a little milk (evaporated milk makes it very nice) and maple syrup and cook for about 5 minutes till creamy. All done.

thanks for the info re slow cooker....i cook the oat groats for one hour on the stove...or following heidi swanson's recipe from 101 cookbooks combine equal portions oatgroats and spelt berries...on the stove for same time. i'm getting very fond of oat groups even over steel cut oats. will have to try this combo in slow cooker.

This is the time of year I start making steel cut oats in my crock pot and thanks to Kaylyn, adding peanut butter is the only way to go for me. I just wanted to let you know that the oatmeal freezes beautifully too! I make mine on the thicker side and get 5 servings out of a cup of oats. I eat one serving out of the crock pot, then put the remaining in a casserole dish. When it cools, I put it in the fridge. Then I cut what's left into 4 portions and freeze them. Can't tell the difference from the fresh or thawed!

Steel cut oats are so much better (and better for you) than instant or quick rolled oats. We haven't made them in a crockpot, may try it! To make a really fabulous oatmeal, instead of using all steel cut oats, we use about half steel cut, and half Bob's Red Mill Scottish Oats - a fine, porridge variety, and use milk for half the cooking liquid. It makes a much creamier tasting oatmeal, punctuated by nuggets of the crunchy steel cut oats. Cooking times, liquid, and additions (maple, raisins, etc) all about the same as the rest of the recipes.

I'm going to try making this tonight! I love oatmeal! Quick question: do you know what the SB approved serving is for cooked oats? I can't find it anywhere but sort of remember reading some place that it is only 1/2 cup. I just started phase 2 and don't want to get ahead of myself by adding too many starches in :) Thanks!!

I didn't read all the comments so forgive me if this has been mentioned already but if you only have a larger crock-pot, you can put the oatmeal mixture in a smaller glass bowl that fits into the crock pot. Fill the crock pot with water up to within an inch or so of the top of the bowl so it makes a water bath around the bowl of oats. Cook on low overnight. :) They won't burn around the edge and just pour out the water and your crock pot is clean!

Thanks for joining the conversation! I love hearing from readers and even though I can't always reply to every comment, I will always answer specific questions on a recipe as soon as possible. Sometimes I'm answering by iPhone, so my replies may be short!

Comments don't appear on the blog until they're approved by me, so no need to try again if you don't see it when you post the comment! Please make your signature a link to your site if you're a blogger, but other links posted within the body of the comment will never be published.

Food Blogger Love!

Copyright Notice

All Photos and Original Text (C) Copyright: 2005-2015, By Kalyn's Kitchen® LLC. I grant permission for photos and recipe links to be copied to social media and other sites, but not recipe text. All Other Rights Reserved. (Other bloggers may post their adapted version of any recipe found here, with their own photos and recipe text, but please link back to the original inspiring recipe on this site.)

Kalyn's Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.